Alouettes’ Shea Emry signs with the Argos, which could alter both teams’ ratio plans going forward

Montreal Alouettes' Canadian linebacker Shea Emry was widely seen as one of the top players to watch heading into CFL free agency Tuesday, and watchers didn't have to wait long. Less than an hour after free agency officially opened at noon Eastern, TSN's Farhan Lalji reported that the Toronto Argonauts had signed Emry. That's a big move, and one that could dramatically alter both the Argonauts' and Alouettes' lineups next year, particularly from an import ratio perspective.

According to the CFL's import rules, teams must start seven non-import (or Canadian) players. What positions those players play varies from team to team, though, and that's what makes Emry so important; as a rare Canadian who plays the traditional import position of middle linebacker (and plays it exceptionally well; he was named both a league and divisional all-star in 2012 and won the Lew Hayman Trophy as the East Division's outstanding Canadian that year), he allows his team to start another American elsewhere. How would that look for Toronto? Well, by the end of their 2013 campaign (an East Final loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats), the Argos were starting four Canadians on the offensive line (everyone except Tony Washington is a non-import), one at fullback (Alexander Robinson), one at wide receiver (Spencer Watt), one at defensive tackle (Cleyon Laing) and one at safety (Matt Black). That's actually one more than required, so the team had pretty solid Canadian content. Emry's addition makes them even better there, though, potentially giving them the chance to use another import on the line or as a starting receiver.

Emry might improve Toronto's linebacking situation as well. Robert McCune generally played well for the Argos and was missed in the East Final, which he missed thanks to injury, but he's 34 and hit free agency this morning. Emry is only 27, and while his history of concussion problems is a bit worrisome, at his best, he's at least as good as McCune, if not better. Moreover, the Argonauts are a nice destination for Emry, as they have a solid potential backup for him in James Yurichuk. Yurichuk finished the year as a backup at defensive end, but he impressed at linebacker during his time in B.C., and could very easily spell Emry if he winds up getting injured. That's crucial for Canadians at traditional import positions, as it means the team doesn't have to juggle the ratio if the starter goes down.

What about for the Alouettes? Well, the best-case scenario for them would be not having to alter their ratio. The team already has another strong Canadian linebacker in Marc-Olivier Brouillette, who's shone on special teams and as a fill-in both in the middle and on the weak side, and they signed him to a three-year contract extension in January. Perhaps he can slide into Emry's old spot seamlessly and the team won't have to change their ratio much.

However, Emry's loss would still hurt Montreal from a depth perspective. The team was starting (PDF) two Canadians on defence by the end of their 2013 season (an East semifinal loss to Hamilton), Emry at middle linebacker and Daryl Townsend at safety, plus four Canadians on the offensive line (everyone except Michael Ola) and another one at fullback/tight end (Patrick Lavoie). Lavoie was taken by the Ottawa Redblacks in December's expansion draft, so they'll need a replacement for him, and while Brouillette may be able to fill in for Emry, the Als would then need another Canadian to serve as Brouillette's backup. The other Canadian linebacker who was on their depth chart in November, Curtis Dublanko, was released after the season and signed with Edmonton. Thus, Montreal will likely have to go hunting for a solid backup, either in free agency or in the draft.

The team made one good move on the Canadian content front Tuesday, signing left tackle Josh Bourke to an extension: Bourke was a hotly-coveted free agent given how hard it is to find Canadians who can play left tackle well, so keeping him means the Alouettes won't need to alter that part of their ratio, and if Brouillette can step up, they won't need to change things around substantially at linebacker either. Emry's loss still makes them less deep on the Canadian talent front overall, though, and that's something general manager Jim Popp will have to work to remedy this offseason.